Patterson named October’s Scottish Building Society Player of the Month

The 21-year-old topped the supporters’ vote after starting every match of the season so far, playing a central role as Edinburgh opened their BKT United Rugby Championship campaign with four straight wins.

Patterson set the tone on the opening night in Belfast, finishing off a slick move involving Magnus Bradbury and Malelili Satala early in the second half as Edinburgh stormed into a 34-5 lead before holding on for a 34-29 victory over Ulster at Affidea Stadium.

He was at the base again through October as Edinburgh edged DHL Stormers 17-13 in their Hive Stadium opener and claimed a 29-12 bonus-point win over Zebre Parma in Parma.

But it was the 31-10 bonus-point victory over the 10bet Lions at Hive Stadium on Friday 23 October that truly lit up the month. Patterson had a hand in all five Edinburgh tries – providing the return pass for the opener, a one-handed offload off the floor to send Mosese Tuipulotu through for the second, and finishing a flowing team move for his first of the night.

His second was all his own work. Taking a quick-tap penalty 25 metres out, Patterson burst past the retreating defence and raced away to the right corner to secure the four-try bonus point – a moment head coach Sean Everitt described as the turning point that took the arm wrestle away from the Lions.

The display earned him the BKT Player of the Match award and capped a memorable week, with Patterson having signed a new contract with the club only days earlier, committing his future to Edinburgh until the end of the 2027/28 season.

Patterson is one of several young players making their mark in the capital this season, with the likes of summer signing Geordie Gwynn and back-rowers Tom Currie and Freddy Douglas also among the try-scorers in a strong opening to the campaign.

On the awards, Patterson said: “First and foremost, I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. I’m really delighted to win this award – the support we get from our fans, home and away, means a lot to all of us.

“It’s really special to be able to pass the £500 on to Jed Thistle. That’s where I played my U18 rugby, and the coaches and volunteers there gave up so much of their time for us. A lot of what I’ve got in my game now goes back to those days in Jedburgh, so it’s great to give a little bit back – hopefully it helps the next group of young players coming through.”

He continued: “I’m happy with how my own form has been so far, and I just want to keep that going. It’s been a great start to the season for the team, but we know there’s so much more this group can achieve. The challenge now is to keep building and help push the club on into the new year.”

Supporting the grassroots game

As part of the award, Scottish Building Society will donate £500 to a local club of Patterson’s choice – and he has chosen to give it back to where it all started, with the money going to Jed Thistle, the Jedburgh youth side he represented at U18 level.

Working alongside Jed-Forest RFC and Jedburgh Grammar, Jed Thistle helps give young players in the town a team at every age group – the same pathway that carried Patterson from the Borders to the professional game, and one his donation will now help the next generation follow.